Friday, February 16, 2007

Creating Balance in Your Business and Your Home

Creating Balance in Your Business and Home
Terilee Harrison (from Inspired Living Magazine)

As a mom entrepreneur, I understand how easy it is to become overwhelmed by life's demands. I face the same challenges you do and I have found solutions to help you "get a life" as you juggle running a business and raising a family. Schedule in a little "me time" every day. Plan early "me time" before your day gets out of hand. Schedule it in your calendar as if it were a dentist appointment.

For example, after you drop your children off at school, you could schedule work to start at 9 AM to have an hour for reading, meditation, soaking in the tub, exercise or _____ (you fill in the blank). Plan for fluctuations in your schedule-some days you might only have 30 minutes-but you will still have some time to get centered for the day. Of course, moms of younger children may need to wait until someone is taking a nap.

Separate work and home. Keep your work area "strictly business." Eliminate anything that can subconsciously pull you out of the game.

When you have incomplete tasks pending, anything related to the task can be a trigger and distract you. For example, let's say you need to pay a bill, and seeing it immediately brings the unpaid bill to your mind and distracts you. When working at home, create a work zone in your mind. Don't be distracted when you walk past the kitchen and see the unfinished dishes.

Play with your kids.When you are overwhelmed by the demands of life, it doesn't seem productive to be playing hide and seek or to be engaged in doing a puzzle. But most of us started our businesses to have more time with our children. Don't forget to set aside time for fun with them and to enjoy them.

If driving kids to school, be present in the car to them, not thinking about work. Set aside time when they get home from school to visit about their day while they have a quick snack. Then you can work for another hour or so while they finish their homework.

As a mom entrepreneur, you should not be too hard on yourself. Remember, it is impossible to "do it all" well!

Do not pressure yourself to run a successful business, be a great wife and mother, and be Martha Stewart all at the same time. Set your priorities, concentrate on doing the things you do best, and delegate the rest!


Terilee Harrison, known as The Business Mom, is an entrepreneur's coach, author and speaker. She is the author of The Business Mom Guide Book: More Life, Less Overwhelm for Mom Entrepreneurs (Wyatt-MacKenzie, Sept. 2006). Visit www.thebusinessmom.com to receive The Business Mom's Ultimate "Get A Life" Guide as our gift to you.

This article is from Inspired Living Magazien (www.inspiredlivingmag.com)

Thursday, February 15, 2007

American Christian Writers/Detroit Kim Brooks

Best-Selling Author Kim Brooks talks about:
God Inspired Creative Writing,
Fiction, Rap and Poetry
at American Christian Writers/Detroit


Kimberley Brooks originally self-published her highly acclaimed debut, novel, He’s Fine...But is He Saved?, however she recently signed a two-book deal with national publisher, Kimani Press New Spirit publishing giant, Harlequin. In the past two years, Brooks has been a guest on several major local and nationally syndicated radio shows including Radioscope with Lee Bailey and SGN The Light; and featured in dozens of newspapers and magazines across the country including JET.

Monthly ACW/Detroit meeting: Monday, February 19
at 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

Greater Grace Temple, City of David Conference Center, Room 200 E –
23500 W. 7 Mile Road, (east of Telegraph) Detroit, Michigan (313) 543-6000

CONTACT: Pam Perry, ACW/Detroit President, 248.281.5066 or info@MinistryMarketingSolutions.com
Creator of Chocolate Pages On Tour (TM)

2007 Christian Writers Market Guides will be on sale. $40 or go to website
www.MinistryMarketingSolutions.com and hit ACW tab.


About Kimberley Brooks

Author, speaker, and songwriter Kimberley Brooks is the founder and president of Driven Enterprises. She has her BA in English from Michigan State University, and is a graduate of Word of Faith Bible Training Center. As a woman who is single, saved, and saving herself for marriage, Kimberley Brooks ministers and conducts workshops on how to resist temptation, abstinence, waiting on the Lord, and how to live a victorious, "drama-free" life as a single saint in today's seemingly sex-driven society. www.kimontheweb.com

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Prayer for Insight and Wisdom by Dr. Patricia Bailey-Jones

Prayer for Insight and Vision

Father, You said that eyes have not seen nor ears heard the things that you have prepared for those that love You! Yet You have determined to reveal them to me by Your Spirit. Lord, help me to develop a keen sense of discernment in my life. You said in Your Word that the mature saints develop their senses. Lord, I thank You for insight and revelation in the Spirit. Help me to walk by faith not by sight! Assist me to redirect my faith into unseen realms where things are eternal.

Help me to see with my supernatural eyes where my natural eyes cannot see. Help me to hope against all odds and give me a confidence when there are things that I know are of You. Father, teach how to train my human spirit to become more sensitive to You and Your unctioning. Cause my ears to hear a word to saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it!”

I thank you, Lord, that You are guiding me perpetually and Your calm vision sees what I cannot see. As the Spirit of God searches my mind, I submit to the Holy Spirit’s guidance because He is the Spirit of Truth and He has been given to me as a gift, promise, helper and teacher; He shows me things to come. When I don’t know what to do and what to pray, the Holy Spirit makes groanings that cannot be uttered in articulate speech.

Thank You, Father, for giving me the promise of the Spirit, who helps me when I need Him the most. Lord, help me to rely upon and depend heavily upon the Holy Spirit when I am attempting to do things on my own. Holy Spirit, I welcome You into my life as my ultimate teacher in life. Teach me the ways of the Father, and reveal and expose the deep things of His heart to my heart.

Holy Spirit, teach me to recognize the voice of the Spirit and the way of the Spirit. You, Father, promised me that You would reveal the mysteries of Your will for my life. Every hindering plot of the enemy is exposed and revealed to me through the Holy Spirit. Lord, I thank you that I don’t have to be led about like a horse with a bit in his mouth, because the Spirit of the living God leads me. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for giving me spiritual understanding into the knowledge of God’s ways. Thank You, Lord, that I not only speak, but I comprehend and understand the wisdom of God. Lord, I thank you that the Holy Spirit reveals the hidden wisdom of God that has been hidden from me from the beginning.



Lord, I thank You that for every obscure area of my life, Your wisdom and revelation brings understanding and illumination. I thank You that I don’t have to walk in darkness or confusion because You always light my path through Your Word. Lord, give me vision for my future. You promised me that if I would not lean to my own understanding and if I would allow you to interpret my course, that You would direct my path. Therefore I trust in You, Lord, with all of my heart. I ask You to help me, Holy Spirit, to acknowledge the Lord in all my ways. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scriptures: Joshua 2; Luke 7:36, Exodus 1; Acts 5:29; Matthew 9:20-20


Daily Declaration

I decree that I am a woman of vision; even though my vision is tarrying – I will wait for it. Although I cannot see in the natural the full vision for my life and ministry, I know that my Father has begun a good work in me. This good work in me is for the express purpose of fulfilling the established work of the ministry.

Holy Spirit, I decree that you are my ultimate helper and teacher, and I look to You daily for my guidance. Every time I get a check in my spirit I will yield to Your unctioning. I decree that I have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation operating in my life on a continual basis. The Lord is speaking to me at all times, and I know and hear and follow His voice.

I build myself on my most holy faith by praying in the Holy Ghost. I purpose to develop my sensitivity to the things of the Spirit. I bring my outward man under subjection so that my inward man will increase. I acknowledge my need and dependency upon the Word of God, which is the living instrument that the Holy Spirit agrees with in fulfilling the plan of God for my life.

As I develop insight and wisdom, I will walk in a place of confidence knowing the will of the Lord for my life. I know the hope of my calling and I have spiritual insight into the ways of God continually.




Taken from Dr. Patricia Bailey’s book Women RiskTakers (Harrison House, Feb. 2005) www.MTMintl.org